By Erin Maynard

BUFFALO, N.Y. Simulated missions to space have recently begun
launching from Jarvis Hall on the University at Buffalo North
Campus, thanks to a donation from Exciting Simulations to the UB
chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
(UB-SEDS). The company has donated its "Space Shuttle Mission
Simulator" as part of its effort to expand educational
opportunities for students in science, technology, engineering or
math-related (STEM) programs.

In this case, the educational opportunities won't end with
students at UB. Twice a month, members of UB-SEDS use hands-on
activities to educate and inspire school-aged space buffs at the
Buffalo Science Museum as part of the museum's public science
educational programs. Traditionally, the UB students have used
"Moon Craters," small projectiles that replicate crater formation,
and homemade "Rocket Balloons," balloons propelled on strings, to
interest students in astronomy and space flight. Now club members
will be incorporating the new software into their demonstrations at
the museum.

The space simulator replicates many aspects of a real mission to
outer space, from external tank separation to the capture of
satellites. It also features multiple missions, including several
that allow players to dock at the international space station. From
take- off to landing at either Kennedy Space Center or Edwards Air
Force Base, each simulation can take a player several days to
complete, just like authentic flights. For the museum programs,
aspiring astronauts will focus only on certain aspects of a
mission, such as participating in a space walk or reentering
Earth's atmosphere.

Andrew Dianetti, a junior aerospace engineering major in the UB
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and UB-SEDS president,
hopes that the flight simulation will help spark an interest in
space exploration in the younger students that the club is reaching
out to at the museum.

"We used the shuttle simulator for the first time last weekend
and it was a huge hit," Dianetti said. "We set it up with a
joystick and projector, and everyone, from young kids to parents
and grandparents, stopped by to try it out. It fostered a lot of
discussion about space and spaceflight as well, which was awesome,
as that is one of our goals. It easily was our most popular
activity."

UB-SEDS also will bring its hands-on demonstrations and
simulator software to youngsters at the Strong National Museum of
Play during its annual "In Another Galaxy Weekend, "April 28 and
29, when the museum is devoted to all things Star Wars.

UB-SEDS outreach drives STEM education advancement by following
the National Academies' suggestions to improve 21st-century
competiveness. A September 2010 report by the President's Council
of Advisors on Science and Technology noted the importance of
"individualized and group experiences outside the classroom" in
helping to "develop personal connections with the ideas and
excitement of STEM fields." The volunteer activities of the UB-SEDS
club help to cement these connections by inspiring future
astronauts, engineers and astrophysicists from the Western New York
region.